March 27, Wednesday of Holy Week

Last week as our family snuggled down to say bedtime prayers, my 11-year-old daughter suddenly sat up and asked me, “Mommy, if Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him, why did He choose him as a disciple?” Oh boy. Couldn’t we go back to the days when she asked simpler questions like, “Where do babies come from?”

I told her that Mommy struggles to understand things like that as well, especially after reading today’s Gospel where Jesus says, “it would be better if [Judas] had never been born.” But after a lengthy discussion on providence and free will, we came to the conclusion that someone had to betray Our Lord, but it didn’t have to be Judas. Then we thanked God for the gift of free will, and prayed that He’d help us use it wisely.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for loving us so much You allow us to freely choose You.